San Francisco
by HarryLurvsMarsBars
Summary: Calleigh and Eric are sent to San Francisco, California for some seminars... EC duh! Pure fluff by the way-you have been warned
1. Getting There

Eric Delko gazed longingly out the large window at an American Airlines terminal at Miami International Airport. Next to him, Calleigh Duquesne sat reading a book silently. They would both soon be trading sunny Miami for a week in rainy San Francisco, California, for tormenting two-to-four-hour-long seminars and conferences that Horatio insisted they attend; he said it would look good for Eric coming back into work after the shooting, and might help them avoid incidents similar to those that had all ready happened. At first Eric refused, but when Calleigh agreed to tag along for moral support and after insisting that she needed to be freshened up with the information as well, Eric agreed.

Savoring the last bit of sun, heat, and warm ocean water that he could through the thick glass of the window, Eric finally looked away and sighed, turning his gaze to Calleigh instead. She was wearing black slacks and a cream top with a little more jewelry than normal that made her eyes sparkle even more than usual.

"Did you know that Seattle and San Francisco have the most suicides in the U.S. because of lack of sunshine?" Eric asked her in a flat voice that stated that he clearly did _not_ want to go to California.

"I didn't," Calleigh replied, glancing up at him from her book. "And as interesting as that information is, you still have to go. Sorry babe."

Eric put his hands in his lap and pouted immaturely. Calleigh put her book away and took one of his hands in hers.

"Eric, I know this has to be hard for you, but it will do you a lot of good," she said lowly. Eric looked at her and he knew she understood how he felt; understood him. "Just try to act like you might find something good out of this trip, for me."

Eric nodded. He would do anything for her, and she knew that. She also knew that there was more reason behind her coming with him than sitting in boring meetings with him for moral support. This was her chance to reconnect with Eric after the shooting, after Tim's death, after every traumatizing thing that had happened to them in the past five years.

A woman's voice came screeching through the speakers, calling for first class and business passengers. Calleigh squeezed his hand and they both stood, picking up their small carry-on bags. They waited in line and gave the woman their boarding passes, who was smiling a little more than necessary in Eric's general direction. Calleigh took Eric's hand, sharing a smile with him. This was a sort of game they liked to play; when women began overtly flirting with him, Calleigh would take his hand and they would smile at each other as if a boyfriend and girlfriend would. The woman's smile faltered a bit as she watched them go.

Once inside the connecting hallway, the two burst out laughing, though Calleigh didn't let go of his hand. They passed the smiling stewardesses and slid into their large, more-comfortable-than-coach seats, placing their bags on the floor.

It was a while before the nasally voice of the captain came from the intercom above them and the plane was being pushed backward. When the monitors had run through the safety film, the captain told them all that the flight was 6 hours and 15 minutes, and the temperature in San Francisco was an average 65 degrees and cloudy.

"Sounds great," Eric muttered miserably. Calleigh cast him a grim look before facing the seat in front of her once again.

Fifteen minutes later found them in the air, hovering over Miami's giant spread-out downtown, and soon they were gaining even more altitude. This was always Calleigh's least favorite part of flying; being so close to the tops of the buildings and the unsteady movement of the plane always felt as though the plane would suddenly drop. Afterwards, however, she was perfectly fine, but for the time being she closed her eyes tightly.

"You okay, Cal?" Eric asked concernedly. Calleigh nodded and opened here eyes briefly and gave him a small smile. Eric decided to take her word for it, and a few minutes later the flight attendant announced that it was okay to use electronic devices.

Eric smiled. "You up for a movie?"

Calleigh rolled her eyes, now confident that she would be fine, but returned his smile. "You brought a DVD player? Honestly, Eric…"

"No, I brought my laptop, if you must know," Eric replied, smugly. He pulled out the computer and a CD case, obviously filled with movies.

"You can pick," he said, bending down to his bag and coming up with two pairs of headphones. Calleigh rummaged through the slots, pulling one out with a delighted smile.

Eric took it from her and smiled, placing it in the player. "Independence Day?" he laughed.

"Yeah," Calleigh said. "It's one of my favorites; there are lots of guns and it has Will Smith in it. Plus, it kind of fits for the time of year."

"How's that?"

"It's Fourth of July in three days, CSI Observant," Calleigh giggled at the color in Eric's cheeks.

"Hey, don't make fun of me," Eric whined.

"Then don't make it so fun," Calleigh retorted.

Eric rolled his brown eyes, plugged in the headphones and gave a pair to her. "And what's so special about Will Smith?"

Calleigh looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding? He's an amazing actor. And, you know, he's 40 years old and has the body of a football player," she added with a small girlish grin that she rarely used.

Eric couldn't help a small surge of jealousy course through him. But then again, he thought, he pretty much had that kind of body. "So that's your…turn on: muscles?"

Calleigh blushed slightly, but shrugged. "Now, if I tell you that, Mr. Delko, you might get, uh, _cocky_," she told him slyly. Eric's eyes nearly bugged out of his head; this was not typical Calleigh behavior. He set that though aside and replaced it with one that went along the lines of 'maybe she feels for me like I feel for her.' With that in mind, he put on his headphones and pressed 'play'. Calleigh copied him.

They each got their drink, the laptop on Eric's tray in front of them, causing Calleigh to have to lean over a bit to see the screen better. Both of them were quite aware of their close proximity, but neither showed it to the other.

When the movie ended, Calleigh pulled off her headphones and handed them to Eric, sighing. "I love that movie," she said.

Eric very nearly said back, 'And I love you', but smartly didn't. Instead, he replied, "I'm glad."

Putting the things away, he noticed that Calleigh was resting, and he thought it best not to disturb her. They were several thousand feet in the air now, and he opted to look out the window.

Calleigh opened here eyes and watched him. He was so cute, with his nose nearly touching the glass and one of his hands on the wall; he looked like a child looking in the window of a candy shop. After a minute, she decided to speak.

"Having fun?" she asked playfully. Eric started and turned to look at her, but smiled sweetly.

"Yeah," he answered truthfully. "When I was a kid we almost never flew, because one, we didn't have much money, and two, because we didn't have any family or anyone to visit. But after my sisters and I were older, we took a little vacation once every couple of years. I always loved looking out the window once we were above the clouds best. I'm not really sure why, but I guess it's because it gives you a different feeling, being higher than the clouds. I mean, there's nothing above you except…space."

That wasn't the answer she was expecting, but it was a sweet, almost boyish answer nonetheless. "We never flew either. It wasn't because we didn't have family far away, because we did, and it wasn't because we didn't have money, because we were plenty well off. I was never given a straight answer, but I always thought it had something to do with my dad, you know, with his alcohol problem. So, like most things involving my past, I don't have a favorite part of flying, only a least favorite."

Eric's eyes were flooded with sorrow and his mouth was opened slightly in awe at this new information. He couldn't remember Calleigh being that open ever before about her childhood. Hearing it, he was suddenly thankful for his loving parents and three sisters to look after him.

"I'm so sorry, Cal, I had no idea," he said softly, placing his hand on top of hers, caressing her fingers slightly with is thumb.

She shook her head and smiled again. "It's okay; I've never said anything about it before. But now you know."

Eric smiled back and watched her rest her head on her seat, closing her eyes slowly. She turned her hand over in his and laced their fingers together, squeezing his hand softly. Eric leaned his own head back, and sighed contentedly. The flight still lacked about two hours, and he was starting to get tired. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep.


	2. Just You

So, what do y'all think so far? This is the very first fic I've posted, but most definitely not the first that I've written, so keep your eyes out for more. Anyhoo, I'll be updating this story pretty quickly because I already have 7 ½ chapters written for it. Enjoy for now!

***

An hour and a half later, Eric woke with a small weight on his shoulder, and found that his head was resting on top of it. Raising his head, he discovered Calleigh's blond hair draped over his shoulder and chest. Smiling, Eric continued to stare; she looked so peaceful that he hated to wake her, but he thought he should do so as the flight only had about thirty minutes left.

Lifting her head and shaking her softly, he watched her slowly rouse. "Cal, you need to get up."

Eric watched her blue-green eyes flutter open slowly, and then saw them become the size of quarters. Sitting up fully, she sat every part of her in her seat.

"Eric, I am so sorry; I was just really tired. I never sleep in public like that. Did I make your shoulder go numb or anything?" she rushed.

Eric laughed. "Whoa, slow down there. I'm fine, Cal, you just fell asleep on my shoulder, big deal."

She looked so funny and cute, sitting there with her hair ruffled and sleep still in her eyes and a frantic look on her beautiful face that Eric had to laugh again.

"What's so funny?"

"Just you, Calleigh, just you," he answered. Calleigh grimaced and slapped his arm playfully.

Calleigh smoothed her hair then pulled out a compact mirror and fixed her makeup. By the time she was finished five minutes later she looked like she had when Eric had picked her up that morning. Eric just stared at her.

"What?" she asked, smiling slightly.

Eric flashed her his perfect white teeth and shook his head. "Come on, Cal. You work at least ten hours five, sometimes six, days a week. You maintain a normal social life and a busy personal life as well. And on top of it all, you always look perfect." It was the most discreet way he could find to say, 'you're amazing'.

Calleigh's small smile became a mischievous one. "Oh, Delko, you haven't seen anything yet. But thank you."

Eric almost coughed up the Dr. Pepper that was halfway down his throat. Forcing it down as secretly as possible, Eric matched her grin.

"Is that a promise or a challenge, Duquesne?" he asked, sticking to this last-name thing she had started.

Calleigh thought for a minute. "Both."

They both looked away from one another staring at the seat in front of their own with those smirks still on their faces. Pretty soon afterwards, however, the noise of the plane was more noticeable and they suddenly bumped along the landing strip, and then slowed to a near stop.

They pulled slowly into the gate as the flight attendant announced their gate and baggage claim numbers and that all electronic devices including cell phones could be used once again. Eric pulled out his Blackberry and searched for Horatio's number in his contact list.

"Hey, H…yeah, it's me; we just landed in San Francisco International…yes, the Le Meridien; I left all the hotel information in your office last night…uh, okay, I'll tell her…yeah, I will." Eric hit the red 'end' button on the phone and stuffed it back in his jean pocket.

"Tell me what?" Calleigh asked innocently.

"Well, Cal, don't be mad, but Horatio looked at the hotel stuff I left him, and, well, I kind of accidentally only booked one room." Eric rushed the last part out, cringing on the inside preparing for what awaited him.

"You what?" Calleigh exclaimed. Her sweet southern voice was suddenly filled with exasperation and even a little anger. Sharing a room with a man for a whole week was one of the last things she wanted to do.

_Calm down, Calleigh, it's just Eric_, she told herself. _He would never take advantage of me in this situation…or ever, for that matter._ She forced herself to keep cool and smiled at him through her teeth.

"It's okay, Eric, we can make this work. All we have to do is ask for another room," she said in a deadly calm voice.

In all honesty, Eric was a little disappointed, but not much. Sure, he was pumped for a minute about sharing a room with the most beautiful and important woman he had ever come to trust. But he knew that having separate rooms was all for the best. Calleigh liked her privacy, enough said, and he respected that. However, it didn't stop that tiny part of him that wanted to tell her no, that she would have to deal with his staring and his hold on her at night, and it was a part of him that almost scared Eric himself; he wasn't that kind of man, and he wasn't about to become it either.

***

"I'm sorry ma'am, we're just booked solid."

The receptionist at the Le Meridien San Francisco hotel scanned her computer with hopeful eyes; apparently, she didn't want Calleigh and Eric sharing a room any more than they did.

Calleigh sighed impatiently. "Excuse me; I'm just a little confused. You have 24 floors on this hotel and don't have a single spare room?"

Deserae, the receptionist, stared at Calleigh with hard brown eyes. Her features didn't live up to her unique name, unfortunately. She looked to be around 21 or 22, and her long light brown hair and slightly sunburned tan skin were common in California, as well as her skimpy figure. All in all, she was cute, but not much to look at. It still didn't stop her from shooting quick glances and flirty smiles at Eric. Eric himself, oblivious to her flirting, held his head in one hand and drew pictures on the granite countertop with the other, like a little kid waiting on his mother.

"Look, miss, I'm really sorry. We have a class of about fifty college kids, two church groups, we're hosting a huge wedding on July 4th, there's a group of roughly a hundred travelers from some foreign country each with their own room, a big 49's game tomorrow, some business conference at Embarcadero Plaza, plus regular tourists like yourselves, so we're a little packed. The only room we have left is the Penthouse Suite, and it's nearly 500 bucks a night. In my opinion, it's not worth it," she ranted, growling out the last sentence.

Calleigh smiled a bit and sighed again. "Well, thank you anyway, ma'am. I appreciate your help." She turned to Eric. "Come on, Eric, looks like we are sharing a room after all."

As Calleigh and Eric walked away, Deserae observed their retreating figures. The woman was very polite, as far as unhappy customers go, and had nothing less than a killer body to go with her beautiful fair features. The man standing next to her was, she suspected, a good foot and half taller than her without her wearing those ridiculous stilettos. He was gorgeous; he had sweet brown eyes, very unlike her, Deserae's, own dirt colored ones, short dark hair, the scruffy beginning of a beard, and, altogether, very Hispanic features. She would make a point that week to ask where he was from.

***

Calleigh and Eric rode up the elevator in silence. Eric was the first to break it.

"Cal, I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose-" he began.

"I know you didn't, and I'm fine with it, it'll just take some getting used to," she cut him off before he could throw the guilty feeling he put on himself sometimes into her own system.

She heard him let out a breath she didn't know he was holding, but took it as a good sign. It was kind of funny, though; what did he honestly think she was going to do with him? At the thought, Calleigh let a small giggle escape her lips.

"What?" Eric asked immediately, putting up his guard in case Calleigh had had some crazy aspiration to murder him right then and there.

Without looking at him, Calleigh answered right as the 'ding' of the elevator stopping on 18th floor rang out. "Just you, Eric, just you."

**__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**A/N: So, I know that's a really crappy ending, but I promise the next chapter will have a little more excitement in it. By the way, I've only been to California once, and that was in San Diego, so I really have no idea what it's like in San Francisco. One of my cousins, however, lived there for a couple of years so I asked her instead of looking it up. I'm super sorry if I offended anyone with Deserae's description, but that's really what I saw in San Diego on the beach. So, yeah, I'm gonna shut up now R&R!**


	3. Beat That

**Obviously I don't own anything- hope you like this one**

Calleigh tugged her red suitcase into the room, Eric at her heels. Flipping on the lights, she examined the room closely. It was a nice room, a suite, with two queen-sized beds in one area, a sitting room in the other, a kitchenette, and a large bathroom that would be big enough share with Eric. Her reasoning behind this was that she was traveling with a man, and what bathroom necessities do they bring along: toothbrush, occasionally toothpaste, and deodorant. She would have all the space she needed.

Calleigh picked up her luggage and dumped it on the bed next to the window. At least she would have a view. Sighing, she unzipped her suitcase and her cranky mood suddenly plummeted even farther downward at the sight of what lay on top everything else.

Her pajamas.

If you could call them that, however; the top was a thin, almost sheer black lace camisole, and the bottoms were more like lacey black underwear that could barely qualify as fitting as boy-shorts. Closing her eyes briefly, she remembered that she had her robe, and her mood suddenly lifted. She could just wear her robe until all the lights were off, and take it off then. Criticizing herself mentally for not being more prepared, her thoughts were interrupted by Eric's voice.

"So, how about I make up this mess to you?" he asked hopefully. "How does dinner sound; I saw an On the Border off the highway. That's probably our best bet as far as food goes until we ask around."

Calleigh stopped rummaging and turned her attention to him with a kind smile. "That sounds great. You know I can do Mexican food anytime."

Eric let out a sigh of relief; she really _wasn't_ mad at him. Annoyed, yes, but mad, no.

"Great," he said, heaving his own suitcase onto the opposite bed. "So, it's ten after five right now; six-thirty okay?"

Calleigh laughed. "Six thirty? Eric, you just ate an hour and a half ago!"

"So? I like my food and I like to eat on schedule. Plus, it's technically my dinner time; we're three hours behind now, remember?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Fine, I promise I'll be ready to go at six."

The time until then passed with them unpacking, which they both found something to laugh at the other for. Calleigh, because Eric had merely brought clothes, a razor and shave gel, deodorant and cologne, and a toothbrush.

"At least I'm hygienic," he said with a smile. "That's more than what I can say for a lot of men."

Eric snickered because Calleigh refused to put her clothes in the drawers provided with the dresser.

"You never know what's been in those things; it could be anything from bugs to a big fat guy's old dirty underwear. I just won't do it, Mr. Hygienic," she argued.

Eric scrunched up his face at the thought. Another thing that he thought was hilarious was all the extra _stuff_ she had brought: two kinds of toothpaste, her toothbrush, mouthwash, hairspray, shampoo and conditioner, all necessary make-up, hair brush, clips, deodorant, tampons (which he did _not_ see), and much, much more.

"Do you think I get up out of bed looking like I do?" she joked, carrying all of it (with the exception of the tampons), into the bathroom.

Eric followed her. "Sort of; I mean, I've never seen you actually get up out of bed in the mornings."

She turned around and gave him strange smile; it was a smile that said she was joking, but not completely. "And at the moment, you never will. But if you somehow do, congratulations, you will be one of the very few men to ever see me with my teeth and hair unbrushed, no make-up, and…very little clothing."

Over the next few seconds, without realizing it, Eric's mouth had opened slightly while he was imagining that actually happening. Calleigh reached over and closed it for him and patted his cheek, not failing to notice the blush creep into the apples of them.

She brushed past him to the opposite side of the room, in the sitting area, and leaned against the wall to wait for him. She glanced down at her watch to check the time, and when she looked back up, he was hovering directly above her.

_You've messed with my head way too much today, Calleigh. It's payback time._

_God, he smells good. I wonder what cologne he uses._

Eric had his arms on either side of her body, his face mere inches from hers. Pretty soon he would have her pinned against the wall. Eric grinned as he began to lean down, slowly, slowly, until his lips were almost against Calleigh's…

"It's 5:45," he whispered, his lips actually grazing hers when he spoke. It was one of the most maddening things she had ever experienced. She longed to move her head that extra few millimeters to really kiss him, to touch her lips to his lusciously full ones. Almost groaning in protest as he moved slowly away, she never saw the smirk on his face as he headed to the door.

_Beat that, Duquesne._

If only he knew…

**My mom used to get so mad at me because my suitcase barely passes the weight test when you drop off your bags. Really, if you looked in my suitcase, that's what you'd find. However, when you live in Texas, you learn to always be prepared : ) Y'all know the drill- R&R!**


	4. Heart to Heart

**All right, here we go with chapter 4. FYI I'm really stumped for ideas on how to finish this story, so if you review, just put in what you want to happen, and I'll definitely take them into consideration. Happy reading!**

Calleigh and Eric returned to their hotel with full stomachs and smiles on their faces. They were both, however, reminiscing earlier events, when Eric had pinned Calleigh against the wall, nearly kissing her. Eric was still proud of his little bit of payback, but Calleigh was wondering what the hell she was thinking, actually _wanting_ to kiss him, to be pressed into the wall with her legs wrapped around his waist and his hot breath on her neck…

She shook her head to clear it of those dangerous thoughts._ I shouldn't have teased him so much all day,_ she thought, _it's giving me crazy thoughts._

She was brought out of her reverie when Eric's deep voice offered her the shower first, insisting that he would only need five minutes in there after she warned him that she took at least twenty minutes. This way, she could already be in the bed when he came out, and there would be no way for him to see her in those skimpy pajamas.

Not that she would have_ minded_ him seeing her in them, but she was keeping it safe for both of them; she knew Eric had feelings for her, he had shown it plainly for almost a year, even more so the past few weeks.

And Calleigh had to admit, she felt for him too.

There was almost no denying it. In nearly an instant, near the end of her relationship with Jake, she felt lost in those deep brown eyes every time he confronted her, whether it be a question about a case or to ask if she wanted to grab a cup of coffee. She suddenly wanted to run her hands up and down those muscles in his back, neck, and chest, and kiss every one of them; she wanted to run her fingers through his hair.

She wanted Eric.

Calleigh decided this officially as she was lathering shampoo into her hair. The familiar scent of vanilla was calming, and she allowed her mind to name all the things she loved about Eric: his smile; the muscles; his brains; the stubble he always seemed to maintain in a scruffy, sexy way; his compassion for helping others; his compassion for her, Calleigh. The list goes on.

Calleigh also decided another thing as she was shaving her legs- if Eric didn't make the first step that would bring their relationship past the flirty banters they threw at each other, and to a true romantic stage soon, she would, no matter what. It wasn't like her to make the first move, but with Eric, she was willing to do it; unlike most men she had dated, Eric was a real man.

Twenty-five minutes later she stepped out of the shower into the vanilla-scented, steam-filled bathroom. She dried off, put on her pajamas and robe, and squeezed the water out of her hair with a clean towel. Brushing back her hair and giving it a quick bath of hot air with her hair dryer, Calleigh stared at her bare face. She had no skin blemishes aside from a sun spot here and a little redness from the sun here. Her eyes were framed by long but thin lashes that suited the rest of her fair features perfectly, and her lips seemed oddly bare without the shine of a red lip gloss.

After she brushed her teeth and dried her hair, Calleigh was satisfied with her appearance, she unlocked the door and stepped out. The room was freezing, but she was fine with it momentarily, because she liked the room cold when she was sleeping. Eric lay on his bed with all of the lights except the bedside lamp turned off, reading a magazine. Looking up at her, Eric grinned stupidly and stared at her. Calleigh blushed a bit but crossed the room to her own bed.

"It's all yours," she said sweetly, smiling back at him. Eric shook his head and stood, grabbing his sleep pants and making his way to the bathroom.

When the door shut with a small click, Calleigh sighed with relief, and shook off her robe, placing it neatly over her suitcase, and scrambled under the covers. She fixed her pillows and fanned her hair out from under her neck and over the pillow.

True to his word, Calleigh had just gotten everything how she wanted it when about five minutes later, Eric appeared out of the bathroom with wet hair, a glistening bare chest, and blue sleep pants.

Calleigh began to stare. Really stare. When he caught her eyes she blushed, but she didn't know for sure if he had actually seen her, because he threw a towel over his dripping hair and rubbed it through his dark locks roughly a couple of times, resulting in Eric's hair sticking out in all different directions. As he plopped onto his bed with a defeated sigh, Calleigh giggled.

Eric turned his head to look at her. "What?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh nothing. Just, your hair always looks so perfect. And seeing it like that is kind of, I don't know, different…in a good way," she added hastily.

Eric understood what she meant. It was like him seeing her, Calleigh, without makeup on for the first time. He still thought she was stunning, but at the moment he would never tell her that.

Getting under the covers, Eric said softly, "Good night, Cal."

"Night, Eric," Calleigh yawned.

Eric reached over and turned off the lamp, his last thought drifting through his mind before he fell asleep-

_I hope tonight isn't one of those nights._

***

Calleigh woke to the sounds of something crying and rustling. Rolling over groggily, she glanced at the clock. From what she could see, it appeared to read 3:32 a.m. Sitting up with a slight groan, she tried to find the source of the noise. When she finally found it in the near-dark, the only light provided being the moonlight glowing through the window, she gasped and threw the covers off of her.

"Eric!" she exclaimed, fearing that he was in some kind of physical pain, as he was writhing and thrashing around. "Eric, what happened? What's wrong?"

And then he suddenly stopped. He was still breathing hard, and a few tears rolled down his face. Calleigh gently placed a hand on his warm cheek, starting when Eric's eyes opened abruptly.

"What's the matter, Eric?" she whispered, surprised to feel her own tears gather behind her eyes.

Eric shook his head, sitting up a bit. A second later, however, the tears flowed freely, and he was leaning against Calleigh, hugging her tighter than he had ever hugged her before. As he cried, Calleigh cried, and she was shocked; she never cried without a reason, and she didn't even know what she was crying about. It killed her to see Eric as vulnerable as this, though, and she supposed that was part of it.

When he had calmed down enough to speak, Eric pulled away from Calleigh slowly, as if he was almost reluctant to do so.

"I have dreams sometimes," he spoke hoarsely, wiping the tears away. "Nightmares, really."

"About what?"

"About…everything," he whispered. More tears, despite his obvious effort to hold them back, fell down. "About Tim, about the shooting, about Marisol, about your kidnapping."

Calleigh was silent. Whenever she had imagined Eric dreaming about her it wasn't like this. "What was it this time?"

Eric hesitated for a moment. "Marisol…and you."

A moment's silence passed, and then he was crying fully again. "I miss her. So, so much. And you reminded me of her, when you asked me what was wrong a minute ago; she used to say that to me when I was sick and she had to take care of me, or when I was upset."

Another pause.

"And when you were kidnapped, I thought I would never see you again. I thought I would never get to hold you or kiss you, or tell you I love you." He stopped a second. "I don't think you realize how much of my self control it took to not shoot that bastard right there in that building."

More tears fell down Calleigh's face, and she muttered, "I'm so sorry, Eric."

Eric shook his head hurriedly and placed his large hand on her cheek, wiping away tears with his thumb. "No, Cal, it's comforting, really, to have you around. I know that you're safe. And I just want you to know that no matter what happens to me, I will never let what happened to Mari, happen to you." He brushed some strands of hair away from her beautiful face and added, "I can't lose you too, Calleigh."

They just stared at each other tearily for a minute, and then Calleigh leaned forward and laid her head against Eric's chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist, sliding under the covers for more warmth, feeling Eric put one hand on the side of her head that wasn't on his chest, the other around her own waist. Laying them down, Eric fell against his pillow and began to stroke Calleigh's hair with a tender touch.

In the darkness Calleigh heard him speak softly. "I love you Calleigh."

A couple of tears fell, these out of comfort, even happiness. Turing her head to kiss his chest, Calleigh murmured back, "I love you too, Eric."

**A/N: So, was it a bit too much? I decided to shake things up a bit and not to do the 'I love you' lines after some heated sex scene, but after a heart-to-heart moment. Oh, and I don't like Eric's hair really short like it is now, so imagine it like it is in the season 4 opener (God doesn't he look hot then?) :p Read and Review te amabo (that's Latin for 'please' by the way-that's my foreign language)**


	5. Promises

**I just wanna thank you all for the reviews; I promise I read them even if I don't respond. Thanks for taking the time to read my stuff!**

The next morning Calleigh was the first to rise. For a moment she forgot where she was and why she was in Eric's arms, but despite what her usual first reaction would be, she felt no urge to jump up and run away. She had learned her lesson about running away, especially when it meant running away from Eric.

She was so comfortable and warm in him embrace that she didn't even look to see what time it was. She snuggled further into his chest and attempted to go back to sleep, and was surprised to feel his arms circling around her even tighter. She was still comfortable, and now felt simply loved and protected.

As she sat there quietly tracing the muscles on his chest she thought about last night. She didn't want to think about any part of last night except the last nine words of their conversation.

I love you Calleigh.

_I love you too, Eric._

Calleigh knew Eric loved her; he had told her many times before, but not verbally like that. It was a nice feeling, though, for a man to tell her he loved her, and actually mean it. John Hagen was legally insane, so that didn't count; Jake was Jake, and they had come pretty close, but Calleigh knew they would never work out. Peter Elliot was a jackass; there was no other word for him. And that leaves Eric.

Sure all of those men told them they loved her, but Calleigh didn't think they truly meant it. Eric, however, was a different story. He had stood by her side all those years before: when Hagen killed himself in her lab, he was the first one to persuade her that she couldn't work the case; and yes, he had accidentally broken up her and Jake, but he apologized for it, and many times over, despite the fact that he wanted her, Calleigh, for him and him alone; and Peter Elliot, he was there to comfort her after what he did.

But the most diverse thing about her and Eric's relationship was that he was the first one that Calleigh said I love you back. And she really meant it, with all her heart.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice that Eric had risen as well, and was just watching her.

"Having fun?" he asked in a sleepy voice, amused, as he watched her draw little patterns on his chest.

Calleigh jumped and sat up.

"Eric, I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" she rushed, nervous that she actually had.

Eric sighed and pulled her gently on top of him, this time their stomachs were pressed together, their faces a foot apart from one another's.

"No," he said, running his hands up and down her arms. "In fact, it probably put me to sleep even longer. It felt nice."

Calleigh rolled her eyes and smiled. "You wouldn't tell me one way or the other."

Eric grinned. "True."

They just stared at each other for a minute and Eric put his hand on Calleigh's cheek. In a sudden yet slow movement, he leaned up, hesitated for a fraction of a second, and pressed his lips to hers in the softest, sweetest, most caring kiss Calleigh had ever experienced. Calleigh responded just as softly almost instantly, relishing in the feeling of his lips on hers before he pulled away just as slowly.

"What was that for?" she whispered, not in an accusatory way, but an almost lustful one.

"Last night," he answered. He kissed her again just like the first time.

"And that one?" she asked, starting to find this a little humorous.

"For always being there for me," he smiled.

When he kissed her a third time, and when it didn't get any more passionate, Calleigh giggled.

"All right Eric, what about that one?" she said.

Eric smiled again. "Just because I love you."

This time it was Calleigh who leaned down, kissing him with the years of love so carefully hidden from one another Putting one hand on his forehead and in his hair, the other on his abdomen, Eric wrapped both of his arms around her waist. She straddled his hips and maneuvered her tongue into his mouth. Eric groaned and gave her entrance, and was about to flip them over when Calleigh suddenly stopped.

"Eric, we're in our pajamas in a bed," she stated, sitting up. Eric just stared at her as if to say, 'And?'

"I don't want to do this on impulse of the moment," she finished. "I mean, I want to do it, but…not now."

Eric sat up as well, and she slid down his legs.

"I'm fine with that," he said. "But, uh, if you don't want to go there, you're going to have to, um, scoot down a bit."

Calleigh looked confused for a second but suddenly realized what he meant, also feeling his arousal (and suddenly her own). She slid off his hips and just lay next to him.

"Sorry. Better?" she asked, a small blush still in her cheeks.

"That answer can go both ways."

Calleigh hit his arm playfully and Eric laughed. She turned her back towards him and closed her eyes, liking the feeling of Eric's body suddenly pressed against hers.

They lay like that for a couple of minutes, with Eric's nose pressed into Calleigh's hair and his arm around Calleigh's waist. Calleigh intertwined her fingers with his that was wrapped around her waist and opened her eyes.

"Oh my God, Eric, our first lecture is in 45 minutes!" she exclaimed, throwing the covers off her and standing up into the cold room around her, completely forgetting about her attire for a moment.

"Damn."

Eric couldn't stop himself; he had never seen Calleigh sexier in his life. Her lacy sheer camisole floated away from her small frame and her firm rear was clad in matching lacy 'boy shorts' that sat low on her hips.

"What?" Calleigh asked. She looked down at herself, which Eric had his eyes glued to. When she realized the situation, she rolled her eyes and made a grab for her robe that was folded neatly on top of her suitcase.

"Honestly, Eric, not now! We now only have 41 minutes to get ready and get to Embarcadero Plaza."

"Forty-one minutes is a long time, Cal," he reassured her gently.

Calleigh sighed and plopped on her bed. "I know. I guess I overreact when it comes to schedules."

Eric shrugged. "It's okay; besides, you have all your clothes in a bag. Just pull something out."

She smirked. "That's easy for you to say, as all you have to do is find a pair of pants and a shirt that remotely goes with them, and you're ready."

"That's not true," Eric retorted stubbornly. "I have to eat and brush my teeth and shave-"

"NO."

"No what?"

"Don't shave."

"But it itches, Cal," he whined.

Calleigh leaned over and put her mouth close to his ear and whispered, "If you keep it, I may have a surprise for you later."

Eric grinned. If it meant a surprise from Calleigh, he was going to keep the damn thing.

**A/N: Yay! Everyone's happy now-they know they love each other, Eric has seen Calleigh's sexy Victoria's Secret pajamas, and now they have to go to the seminars. Ch. 6 soon to come.**

**P.S: don't forget to check out my other two stories I've posted so far: 'Truth or Dare' and 'Calleigh's Surprise'. **


	6. Computer Forensics of the Future

Though they still had to eat, shower (or Calleigh did at least), and get dressed, Eric was right about one thing; _he_ had plenty of time. Calleigh, however, was flat ironing her hair when Eric told her he would be in the lobby with some coffee. Calleigh promised she would only be five more minutes, but Eric knew how that went with women.

As he emerged out of the elevator, Deserae glanced up from a college application she was filling out and saw Eric. He was dressed in a blue button-down, which was un-tucked, blue jeans and white Nike high-tops. Deserae thought he looked amazing, even though he was dressed very casually. She was even more thrilled when he sat down in a plush red seat in front of the front desk. Forgetting the tedious paperwork altogether, she decided to use this as her chance to strike up conversation with the man.

"Good morning, sir," she said politely, just like she did with every customer. Eric smiled back.

"Morning," he replied. Deserae felt her knees go a little weak.

"So what brings you to San Francisco?" she asked.

"Seminars," he answered, rolling his eyes jokingly.

Deserae looked a little confused. "Are you a professor or something?" _And_ _if you are, tell me where you teach so I can go there_.

The man, Eric, she had heard the lady call him yesterday, laughed. "Um, no, not at all; I'm a CSI from Miami. My friend and I are here for a whole week to listen to some boring lectures."

That was not what she was expecting. He was the hottest police officer she had ever seen. But the Miami part made sense; he was probably from Peurto Rican or Cuban descent and he had a beautiful woman with him, whom she guessed was also a CSI. A very mature job, but she was fine with it; a guy who works with guns never bothered her.

At that moment, the blond lady stepped off the elevator and gazed around the room, obviously looking for Eric. Eric smiled and stood up so she could see him. When her blue-green eyes met his brown ones, she grinned and walked to him.

Eric turned to her. "Thank you for the conversation."

The woman took a cup of coffee from his hand hastily and took a gulp, grimacing slightly. Deserae had to admit, for a five-star hotel they didn't have the best coffee in the world. Remembering Eric's comment, she smiled professionally.

"No problem," she said. "If you guys need any information about tours or anything, I'm your girl."

"Thanks," Eric said. "We'll remember that."

As they turned on their heels, Eric placed a hand on the small of the woman's back. Deserae sighed. A hand on her back didn't mean anything. After all, he had said they were just friends. And if they weren't, she just might have to do something about that.

***

Calleigh and Eric walked out the doors hastily. They still had fifteen minutes before their first lecture, Computer Forensics of the Future, with Dr. Lamar Ortiz, began. Calleigh finished the rest of her coffee without tasting it, but she needed caffeine in her system.

"I think she was flirting with you, Eric," she said, grinning at his eye roll.

"Yes, because no woman can resist my obvious charm and good looks," he said, almost non-sarcastically.

Calleigh laughed. "Well, I don't know if other women can, but I, for one, _can't_," she said, reaching up to kiss him. Eric adjusted to the height difference by bending over slightly.

"So you really were only five minutes," he commented, taking her hand.

"When I say I'll be five minutes, I will be five minutes," she replied.

Calleigh looked perfect, as usual. She had chosen a pair of dark trouser jeans with a tight black tank top, and typical stilettos, completed with her oversized black leather Dolce and Gabbanna bag. Her hair was twisted at the top of her head, a few strands hanging down here and there.

"You know, if I didn't know you, I'd say you belonged in California," he said, referring to her designer purse and overall chic appearance.

Calleigh grimaced. "I'm not sure I like California any more than you do."

Eric grinned. "So, if you had to choose, would you rather move to California or back to Louisiana?"

Unexpectedly, Calleigh actually took time to think. "Well," she began. "Moving to California would mean cold wind and the cold ocean, and Louisiana would mean having to see my direct family, or put up with them, rather. So honestly, I don't really know; it's a good thing I don't have to move any time soon."

Eric was silent for a few moments. "Do you really dislike your family that much, Cal?"

Calleigh glanced up at him with a half-smile. "My mom left me a message on my home phone checking to see if I was still alive. The only thing I got out of that was that I know that _she's_ alive. She could die and everyone except my brothers would probably forget to invite me to her funeral."

This was the second time in two days that Calleigh had shared information with him about her past. All Eric could think to do was wrap his arm around her shoulders and kiss her temple.

They walked in silence until the got to the entrance of Embarcadero Plaza, and Eric simply hooked his first three fingers with hers.

"Oh look, a Starbucks!" Calleigh exclaimed excitedly. Either she had completely put aside their conversation (which was highly unlikely) or she was masking her hurt very well. "I need real coffee."

Eric opened the door for her and followed her into the little room. It smelled more like a Barnes & Noble, with a hint of new books among the warming scent of the coffee.

Calleigh ordered a Grande white tea, extra strong, and Eric got the coffee of the day, the Ethiopia coffee. She unwillingly let Eric pay, promising to make up for it at lunch. Eric laughed, knowing she would try, but he wouldn't let her; they hadn't declared it verbally, but he supposed she, like him, now considered them boyfriend-girlfriend. Part of the boyfriend's duty was paying.

They came to a large business building close to the heart of the plaza. Calleigh took out her Pocket PC and checked the address of the building.

"This is it," she declared, putting the device back in her bag.

Eric took a dramatic deep breath and held out his elbow. "It's now or never; ready?"

Calleigh smiled and took his arm. "Whenever you are, babe."

Opening the door, a rush of cool air blew in their faces. They were greeted by a busy lobby that smelled of old books and something flowery that kind of gave Eric a stomach ache. Following the signs, Calleigh and Eric found the room where Dr. Ortiz's lecture was to take place.

Computer forensics was not something that actually excited Eric; he preferred to play with computers at home, messing with settings and doing whatever he wanted, rather than going through blurry video tapes or scratched CD's. Unfortunately for him, Dr. Ortiz was a man in his mid-fifties, with a soothing monotone Spanish accent for a voice, and after his night, Eric was starting to find himself dozing off. _Lucky_ for him, however, Calleigh was there, taking detailed notes in her large writing. He would have to remember to thank her later.

An hour into it Eric was really starting to fall asleep, like he used to in history class in high school. Except now, he didn't have to deal with a teacher, he would have to listen to Calleigh go on and on about how disrespectful it was of him to actually fall asleep. For the time being, however, he got something worse. He thought she was messing with him when she put her hand on his thigh. The next second, though, he found out how wrong he was when her fingers squeezed a spot right above his knee that she knew was one of his most ticklish spots. Eric jumped and glared at her, which she returned just as hardly.

For the rest of the lecture, Eric caught bits and pieces like, "The computer is an intelligence in itself," and "…try this new program for ultimate satisfaction."

In his mind, Eric rolled his eyes. The guy sounded like he was selling porn. No, he sounded like a nerdy loser trying to fit in with the popular jocks by selling them porn.

With those thoughts brought on new ones. His face was itching like crazy, and it was all because Calleigh was giving him a _'surprise'_ tonight. At the word 'porn', however, and with the thought of a surprise from Calleigh, he couldn't help but let his mind wander a bit.

The lecture was over, and by the time Calleigh had stuffed her notebook in her bag, Eric was still sitting in his seat with a glazed, in-another-universe look in his eyes. She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes when calling his name didn't work.

"Eric? Eric Ricardo Jose Delko, get out of the damn chair!" she said, loudly enough for him to hear but not so loud as to be obnoxious.

Eric's eyes snapped to her face at the sound of his full name. "I'm paying attention, I promise," he whispered. Calleigh had to laugh. "What?" he asked defensively.

"It ended five minutes ago, Eric; I now see how well you really _were_ paying attention."

When all she got in reply was a sheepish look from Eric, she continued.

"So tonight, instead of that surprise I told you about, you can go over the notes I took. I promised Horatio that I would keep you in line and focused this trip."

Eric turned on his lopsided, your-mine-now smile that always worked on his sisters and mother before he replied. "Cal, I don't know if you realize it or not, but you distract me, whether it be on purpose or not, all the time."

Calleigh couldn't stop the pathetic blush that crept up her cheeks and neck, or that silly feeling in her stomach that sixteen-year-old girls get when they're being asked to the prom by the hot senior jock.

"Oh, Eric, you are the charmer," she said, drawing out her accent more than usual. He had his smile, she had her accent; it turned every city boy to melted puddles.

Picking up her bag and leaving him in his chair, Calleigh smirked when she heard the sudden scraping of the chair against the linoleum floor.

"Cal, wait!" he called, running after her. "You were kidding, right?"

"About what?" she asked innocently, knowing full well what he was talking about.

"About, you know…"

Calleigh just looked at him like she was thinking hard and shook her head, smiling. "Nope," she said finally. "I _don't_ know."

Eric let out a frustrated sigh and actually stomped his foot like a four-year-old. At this, Calleigh rolled her eyes.

"I won't take you to dinner tonight if you don't tell me if you're kidding or not," he said, pouting childishly.

Calleigh's smiled without humor. "That's fine. There's a great looking little Chinese place around the corner from here that I've heard is really good. And cheap," she added, starting to walk again. She swayed her hips a little because she knew he was watching, and she wanted to taunt him that much more about what he wasn't going to get that night.

As she opened the door, she noticed the sun was out a little more than it had been that morning, and was probably pushing 70 degrees. There was, however, a cold wind, and she suddenly felt cold after sitting in that darn chair for nearly two hours and being that close to Eric. Rubbing her bare arms for a little warmth and cursing herself mentally for not remembering her jacket, Calleigh hurried back to the hotel.

**A/N: Sorry, that was really mean to cut off the 'surprise'. But you never know-it could happen at one point ; ) Don't forget that this takes place around 4****th**** of July (to be honest I almost did) and there can be more than one kind of fireworks!**


	7. But I Don't Like Chinese

**Sorry it took so long to update; my internet was being stupid for a few days. Anyway, here is chapter 7.**

It wasn't even five minutes until Eric opened the door, his adult attitude now in place once more. He inched his way into the room and sat down on his bed slowly, watching Calleigh the whole time. She was sitting cross-legged on her own bed, reading the magazine Eric had last night. Pretending not to notice he had even entered the room, Calleigh continued to read.

Eric had no idea what she was so mad at him for; she couldn't tell him that she had never been so bored in high school she had fallen asleep. He couldn't help but be a man; selective hearing was in their nature. Even if he didn't know what he was doing it for, Eric decided the best thing to do was apologize.

"I'm sorry, Cal," he mumbled, eyes downcast and fingers nimbly playing with his shoelace.

Calleigh looked up from her magazine, obviously seeing right through him. "Sorry for what?"

"For, uh, making you mad," he answered pathetically.

Calleigh sighed. "You didn't make me mad, Eric; you embarrassed me, acting like a four-year-old in front of a bunch of professional people, who expect you to be the same," she explained, closing the magazine, which she hadn't been reading anyway.

Understanding now, Eric crossed the short distance between their beds. He sat in front of her, taking her hands in his.

"What can I say?" he began. "I've always been the baby."

Calleigh finally let a smile pass over her lips. "And that smile you gave me earlier was part of the package of 'being the baby'?"

Eric decided to play dumb as she had this morning. "I _don't _know what smile you're talking about."

Calleigh pretended to be offended. "Are you mocking me Delko?"

Eric moved closer to her. "I sure am, Duquesne."

He closed the distance between them, pushing her down with the weight of his body as he kissed her. Calleigh's mouth opened for him, her annoyance with Eric completely forgotten. After a few moments, his lips traveled across her jaw and up to that spot behind her ear, lingering there as her little gasp filled his ears. Leaving the spot and moving on to her neck, he stopped to suck and bite her irresistible skin.

Unwillingly, Calleigh pushed him off of her. "Later," she said. Eric sighed and rolled next to her.

"Oh, fine, Cal, give me the damn notes," he gave in. Calleigh grinned and reached into her enormous bag and pulled out the pink spiral.

Eric opened it to the first page and began to study her large-easy-to-read writing, which was printed neatly on the paper with blue ink. Ever since the shooting, he had had trouble with reading small print and light colors, sometimes even writing in pencil. He could, however, read the dark colored inks and larger writing, and he supposed Calleigh had taken that into consideration when writing the notes.

For a half hour Eric was focusing as hard as he could on the task at hand, and trying to ignore the low grumble of his stomach. He felt like he hadn't eaten in days, even though he had had a decent breakfast that morning. Calleigh, who was in a much lighter mood, heard a particularly loud noise from his stomach and looked up at him; he had his eyes solely focused on her notes, but they weren't moving with the words like they would if he were really reading. At least she could give him credit for trying.

"Come on, Eric," she said, pretending to sound annoyed by his lack of attention to his reading. "I promise I won't tell H that you fell asleep the first lecture."

As she took his hand and pulled him off the bed, Eric smiled.

"So what's the catch?"

Calleigh looked at him innocently. "No catch," she answered. "Just you, me, and Chinatown."

Eric grimaced as he was lead out the door by this impeccably small yet strong woman, clad in black stilettos and a designer bag. "But I don't like Chinese food."

***

Calleigh and Eric sat across from each other in a small crowded restaurant somewhere in Chinatown. The air smelled of fresh vegetables and spices.

"I thought you didn't like to eat at strange Chinese places," Eric stated, looking at his menu.

Calleigh smiled as she did the same. "I don't, normally, but I was speaking with a very nice bellhop this morning who says that this is the cleanest and best place to eat in Chinatown."

"He sounds helpful."

"Very."

There was a small silence before Eric spoke. "If you're trying to make me jealous, Cal, it isn't working."

Calleigh glanced up at him, and saw the emotion in his eyes, and looked back down.

"Keep telling yourself that and you'll be living in an Earthly heaven," she told him, placing her menu down on the stressed wood table. Eric smiled behind his menu and knew she was right.

"Actually, I've always been kind of overprotective or, dare I say, _jealous_, when it comes to women," he told her, making his official choice of food.

"Really?" Calleigh questioned, raising an eyebrow, teasing him a bit. "Always, huh?"

"Yeah," he answered. "You know, one time I went to a bar with two of my sisters, Alejandra and Izzy, just to catch up with them because they live on the opposite side of the city." Calleigh smiled.

"You mean Isabella the gorgeous-er and Alejandra the gorgeous-est?" she confirmed. Eric rolled his eyes.

"Yes. Anyway, like I said, we went to this lounge/club type of thing to catch up without their kids running all over the place. And, like _you_ said, Alei is the prettiest out of my sisters. When all of these guys started hitting on her and stuff, she never told them she was married, so I pretended to be her boyfriend the whole night so guys would lay off her."

Calleigh giggled. "And what did she do to you afterwards?"

Eric grinned. "She yelled at me. But hey, they stayed away from her, she's still got a husband and two kids, and it's all good," he said, leaning back in his chair taking a sip of his iced tea. "So are you going to tell me that you've never gotten jealous over a guy before?"

Calleigh thought for a moment. "No. You and your stupid little flings get me angry, and jealous, all the time."

Eric stared at her with that smirk still on his face. "Well lucky for you, you don't have to deal with my 'stupid little flings' anymore, because you," he took her hand, "are not one of them."

She smiled. "Well thank you for telling me that; it makes me feel so much better about our relationship," she said, only half sarcastic.

A few minutes later the waitress, a tiny woman who couldn't have been any older than 20 or so, came to take their order. When she walked off to deliver their order to the kitchen, Eric turned his attention to Calleigh once more.

"So," she began, "now that it's decided that I'm not a one-week-fling, I'll tell you something about me that I would appreciate you not brag about."

Eric's interest grew as he nodded and waited for her to go on.

"You are the only person besides my dad who knows I'm afraid of ants," she said quietly, a sheepish look on her face.

"What's so bad about that?" Eric asked.

"I don't know, I just feel like since I know every fear of a lot of the women in the lab, they should know mine, too," she explained. "Natalia hates it when people drive crazy fast, and Valera is scared to death of being on a boat in the middle of the ocean. Paula doesn't like those prison documentaries; she says she sees enough nut cases on a day-to-day basis. I mean, I even know some of the men's fears."

Eric grinned. "Like who's?" he questioned, eager to hear if she knew anything about Ryan.

"Well, Aaron thinks long nails are disgusting, Joseph refuses to eat sauerkraut, because he swears it moves and there is a reason it smells like it does. Frank is scared to death of fire, or bombs, really, and Ryan hates it when you have to dive in the Everglades, because he's scared you could have picked up some life-threatening bacteria in the water," Calleigh listed. She turned to him. "But I've never known what you're scared of."

Eric leaned closer and said softly, "You really want to know?"

Calleigh nodded eagerly.

"My sisters," he whispered dramatically, shuddering. Calleigh actually laughed.

"Hell hath none like a woman's scorn," she recited.

Eric smirked. "Or a five, eight, and nine-year-old's obsession with dressing their poor little three-year-old brother in princess dresses and kiddy makeup."

Calleigh laughed again at the idea of a toddler Eric dressed like Snow White with red lipstick and glitter drawn all over his face.

"Just be thankful that you didn't have two tormenting little brothers to ruin your teenage years," she contradicted, taking a drink of her water.

Eric snorted. "I'd take brothers over sisters any day. I mean, I love my sisters, but it would be nice to have the support of another man that actually knows them for what they're _really _like."

"What about your dad?"

"Are you kidding? They were angels in his eyes; perfect little girls," he paused and rolled his eyes. "I knew better. They were always sneaking out at night and going to parties; crap that I got grounded for." He sighed and shrugged. "When I have kids, and if I ever have a boy and a girl, I'll listen to the boy before the girl."

"Well what about your in-laws?"

"When I say 'another man that actually knows them', I mean someone who doesn't know them as gorgeous women who have big brown eyes and boobs."

Calleigh rolled her eyes playfully. "Then you'd get along great with my siblings; they never live down any embarrassing thing that happened to me, whether it was because of them or not. But most of the time it was because of them." She smiled. "You'd know me better than you ever thought you would."

Eric hesitated before asking his next question. "So you and your brothers get along okay?"

Calleigh shrugged. "We all went through the same thing as kids; my dad's drinking, my parents fighting, and, eventually, their divorce. But I guess yes, you could say we get along. We had some fun times together…and some not-so-fun times."

Eric smiled. "So do they live in Louisiana?"

"Michael does, with his wife and three kids" she answered. "He's the middle one. Chris, they youngest of all three of us, lives in Panama City Beach with his wife and daughter."

Her eyes lit up like they did when she remembered something. She fished in her purse for her wallet. "This is them," she said, taking a picture of two young men out of one of the slots.

Eric took the photograph from her, which showed her brothers sitting side-by-side in the grass, a large ranch-style house in the background and the biggest golden retriever Eric had ever seen in between them. One of the men had blond hair like Calleigh's cut in a long, younger-looking style, and blue eyes; he resembled Calleigh the most. The other had light brown hair and eyes to match, with thicker lashes and heavier features than his siblings.

"That's Chris," Calleigh said, pointing to the blond-haired man, "and that's Michael," she pointed to the other.

"What's the dog's name?" Eric asked, grinning.

"Rambo," she answered. Eric laughed.

"That's clever," he said. Calleigh looked up and Eric followed her gaze. Their food had arrived, and the smiling waitress set the steaming plates in front of them. Hungrily, Eric dug his fork into a piece of his Kung-Pao chicken and popped it into his mouth without letting it cool at all. Calleigh shook her head and blew on her own spicy lo-mein noodles.

"So when we get back home maybe we can compare photographs or something. You know, of our families," Eric said, washing down the hot chicken with a swallow of Calleigh's water. Calleigh snatched it from him and took a drink as well.

"Sure," she answered, setting the water where she knew he wouldn't be able to reach it. "My dad just gave me a scrapbook for my birthday a few months ago with all the good happy pictures of us."

Eric grinned. "It's a date, then."

They finished their lunch, taking their time and enjoying not being rushed or interrupted by phone calls or just people in general. It had been a long time since he had sat down with Calleigh and had a good heart-felt conversation with her. The last time he had been able to do that was before Speed had died. He missed being able to act immature around Calleigh; she would always let it go by when Tim was around. He missed going clubbing after a long day's work with him, picking out girls at the bar. He missed the joking that he couldn't do around Ryan without him taking it personally.

"I miss Tim," he voiced quietly.

Calleigh stopped in mid-chew. Neither of them had mentioned Tim much over the past four years; it was too heart-wrenching for them.

"I do too," she said softly, continuing to chew the rest of the bite and swallow. When she didn't continue the conversation after that, Eric felt suddenly guilty.

"I'm sorry, Cal, I shouldn't have mentioned it," he said, trying to get her to look at him. When she did, she smiled painfully.

"It's okay," she reassured him, taking her last bite. She suddenly felt angry with herself: this was one of the main reasons she came with Eric, to talk about things like _Tim_, and here she was, choking up. She needlessly dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin and waited for Eric to finish.

Eric wasn't convinced that it was okay, however, but continued to finish his meal. He felt like hitting himself repeatedly in the head with a frying pan; he had brought their enjoyable mood to a dull and obviously unwanted conversation. _Stupid Speed_, he thought. _This whole situation would never even exist if you had just cleaned your damn gun every now and then._

They finished their lunch in silence until they were given the check, and Calleigh let him pay unwillingly. When they got outside and they still hadn't spoken a word about their conversation, Calleigh sighed.

"Look, Eric, you didn't say anything that made me angry," she said, taking her hand in his. She led him to a wooden bench and they sat down. "It's just, I wasn't lying when I said I missed him too." She paused, but Eric didn't know why until she started speaking again.

"I really, really miss him."

The tremble in her voice was so un-Calleigh like it nearly broke his heart. When a single tear ran down her cheek, Eric brushed it away with his thumb. He hated to see Calleigh cry; it was like seeing Horatio without his sunglasses- it never happened.

Eric stood them up as more silent tears fell. He knew she would appreciate it, because she hated crying much less crying in public; she never said why but Eric had a feeling that it was because she felt vulnerable, like she might have in her childhood years. "Come on, Cal," he whispered in her ear, and that's when she let a small sob escape her throat. "Let's go."

**A/N: Don't you hate it when these situations happen: you're at a restaurant with your boyfriend/husband/brother and he does something stupid, like throw food across the table at his buddy, and then is confused as to why you're mad at him? –Sigh- men; you gotta love 'em. And there's more crying, and I'm sorry for that, but I didn't want to have two whole 'heart-to-heart' conversations. I am working on 8 right now, and keep you eyes open for the 2****nd**** chapter of Birthday Present.**


	8. Observing

**Okay, so I realized that this was going to be a long story when it took me 7 chapters to get to the day after the flight. Oh, and I am SUPER sorry about the long wait. My cat broke my internet (if you wish to know the whole story, send me a pm) and I just got a new 'internet stick' today. R&R!**

The rest of the evening went by without further discussion of Speedle. A nice long bath and a phone call to the nearest Pizza Hut later, Calleigh and Eric sat on his bed snuggled into one another watching a made-for-TV movie, munching on slices of supreme pizza and sipping fizzy Dr. Pepper. Calleigh had a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, his low rumbling laugh echoing in the room and shaking both of their bodies. This was how she wanted to spend her evenings; in his arms, the lights dimmed, a funny movie playing, spending time with him. She finished her dinner, setting it aside. She nestled closer into his side and pulled the covers tighter around her other side.

Calleigh didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she woke at half-past one in the morning. The room was completely dark, and Eric lay next to her snoring softly. Her head lay against his bare chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her and his nose in her hair. She knew there was no chance of her going back to sleep, but she couldn't remember ever being more comfortable. The slow steady rhythm of his breathing was lulling her into a sense of calm as she thought of the day's events. But as she thought about all of those things, depressing and hard as they were, she realized that she didn't want to. She wanted happiness in her life, for once.

And that happiness was lying right next to her, warm and shiny as the Florida sun.

She wanted to trace the curvatures of his defined chest, but suddenly found that she didn't have the energy as slumber surprisingly crept its way into her body.

***

The next morning it was raining. Hard. The unsteady slamming of sheets of rain against the window and balcony door woke Calleigh with a particularly loud smash of high wind and gushing water against the solid glass. Having always been a very light sleeper, she was not surprised in the least to discover that it was merely 8:00. Eric, being the exact opposite of her, held her firmly to his chest with both arms as he dreamt. She rubbed the fog of sleepiness out of her eyes as best she could in her position as she stared into his face.

It was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

His lusciously long lashes hovered just above his cheeks, his eyelids concealing those wonderful eyes that were so much like an open book to her that it was almost strange to not be able to see them now. The morning stubble made him look sexy even as he slept, his caramel skin absolutely flawless. She gazed at his nose; it was perfect, straight and not too long, and soft snores came out of it. Right below it, however, rested Calleigh's favorite part of his handsome face: his lips. Full and soft and delicious she longed to lavish them with kisses until he woke up, but resisted. As she continued to do this, she reached a hand from between their bodies to stroke his cheek, wondering how she ever started a day without doing this.

Eric groaned almost inaudibly at her touch, but obviously had no intention of waking any time soon. Calleigh smiled and attempted to untangle her body from his, their limbs in a mess. When she finally did manage to escape his vice grip around her waist, Calleigh cleaned up last night's mess and headed for the shower.

***

As soon as she left his arms, Eric had woken. He doubted that he would ever be able to sleep without her again. Keeping his eyes closed, he heard a number of things: the first was the constant patter of rain, then her bustling around the room to pick things up, and finally the soft click of a door shutting. He stirred for a moment and then opened his eyes.

When he had fallen asleep last night, the room had been a bit of a mess, but it now practically shone. He smiled to himself at the thought of Calleigh not standing the untidiness, and eventually decided to sit up. At that moment the rain let up a bit, and he could hear the drumming of the shower water. As he had two nights ago, Eric groaned at the thought of Calleigh in the shower, water mixed with her vanilla soap running down her gorgeously sexy body as he joined her…

No, he thought to himself, trying to shake the dreams out of his head. His mind was running right into a field of dangerous territory, and no way could he hide a stiffy in thin cotton pants.

He began to reminisce last night. She seemed to be feeling better, but Calleigh was the master of hiding her true emotions. It was nearly nine o'clock at this point, nearly 11 in Miami. He decided to call Horatio to give him an update.

"Eric," his boss answered after two rings. "How are things?"

Eric huffed out a laugh. "Wet. It's been raining nonstop since late last night."

"And the seminars?"

He thought for a moment about telling Horatio how he really felt about them, but figured a little white lie couldn't hurt anything.

"Great. Calleigh's been a big help," he told him; half the truth was better than nothing.

Eric swore he could hear the smile in his boss's voice, like he could see right through Eric even over the phone. "That's good." There was a pause that lasted only a second. "Eric, I meant to call you later. I want to talk to you about Calleigh."

"What about her?" Eric asked, suddenly concerned. Had she not told him something?

"I think that she needs a serious time off of being a CSI," he explained. "Her stress levels are off the chart, as you well know. I think that taking a little vacation would be good for her. You agree?"

Eric mulled over this. "Aren't we on vacation, technically speaking?"

Horatio sighed. "No, not really. What I'm saying is that I want you to forget the seminars and use the rest of the week as an actual vacation; do what normal adults do when the need a break. Have some fun."

A slow grin steadily spread over Eric's face. "Are you serious, H? Because you know we don't mind attending these things."

"I know. I trust you two with your jobs with or without the seminars. Just do what you want to do for a change."

Eric's grin was a down right smile now. "Thanks, Horatio. I'll tell Cal."

Right before they were about to hang up, Horatio said one last thing. "Eric, take care of her. She really needs you now more than ever."

"You know I will, H. Bye."

"I know."

Eric heard a beep that signaled the end of the call. He set his phone aside and was about to get out of bed when the bathroom door opened. Calleigh stepped out, a towel wrapped around her tiny frame, water dripping from her hair and nose just as Eric pictured it would. She didn't notice that he was awake as she crossed the room to her luggage. Bending over her suitcase, Eric received an enticing view of her backside, but the towel was long enough to cover everything. Eric felt she should know that he was unintentionally (well, sort of unintentionally) invading her privacy, and cleared his throat loudly.

She whipped around so fast the towel nearly dipped some on her left side. Her blush was immediate as his eyes shamelessly continued to rake in her half-nude form.

"Um, you're awake," she stated lamely. Her legs wouldn't move no matter how much her mind screamed for them to run as fast as they could to the bathroom.

Eric nodded and yawned, trying fruitlessly to make her more comfortable and to give her a chance to bolt for the bathroom, yet her picture was stuck in his mind forever. "Yeah. I just got off the phone with H." _That's it, unsexy thoughts, unsexy thoughts: Horatio, Ryan, holiday sweaters, pimples._

"Oh. Oh, uh, what did he say?" she asked. Her own blue eyes wandered down from his face to that marvelous chest, so perfectly smooth, toned and tan. She was finding it increasingly harder to form a coherent sentence.

"To screw the seminars," he answered truthfully. "If you, uh, want to get dressed while I shower, I'll explain more."

Calleigh smiled and shook her head, a new blush creeping up her cheeks. "Yeah, that's uh, that's probably a good idea."

As Eric entered the bathroom, in their minds they simultaneously agreed that that was one of the most awkward situations either had ever been in.

**a/n: so that wasn't one of my better chappies, but at least I updated, right? I completely changed the story, however, so the next chapter probably won't be up for a couple of days. If you live in southern Cali can you tell me some really exciting things to do in San Francisco (I have only been to San Diego and I'm too lazy to do my homework and research things). Review please!**


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